Grace of a Wolf by Lenaleia

Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Grace: Unwelcome Advances

I have to leave the pack.

This realization is a long time coming, but when I wake up to Rafe's face staring down at me, in the relative safety of my own room, it's a decision made for me.

I'm not safe anywhere. Not even where I sleep.

"Don't shout," he whispers, placing a hand over my mouth.

I wasn't going to, anyway. No one would come to my aid here.

My nod seems to relieve him, because he lets me go and sits on my bed without asking for permission.

I sit up, my fingers clutching the blanket and pulling it over my chest. The thin fabric offers little protection, but it's all I have against Rafe's piercing blue gaze. I'm still wearing my clothes from yesterday, but being in my bed—in my room—leaves me feeling vulnerable.

My heart pounds, a traitorous rhythm that threatens to betray my resolve.

"What are you doing here?"

Rafe's sun-bright hair catches the dim light, a halo around his perfect features. His blue eyes, once a source of comfort, now make my stomach twist.

All I can see is how he dumped me for Ellie the moment he realized they were mates.

"How are you doing, Grace?"

His hand reaches for mine. I flinch away, pressing myself against the headboard.

"What are you doing here?" The words come out sharper this time.

Rafe's shoulders slump, and he runs a hand through his hair, mussing the perfect strands. "I'm worried about you."

A harsh laugh escapes my lips before I can stop it. "That's rich."

"I mean it, Grace. I care about you."

"You have a funny way of showing it."

His sad facade fades as his jaw clenches. There's a tick beneath his skin, a twitching that only serves to remind me he's changed. Like a personality transplant. Or, worse—I never knew him at all. "It's complicated."

"No, it's not. You chose her. You made that perfectly clear."

amber bleeding into the blue of his eyes. My lack of submission must anger his wolf, too. "It's not

out with more scorn and less trembling. "I don't want to hear about your precious mate

everything I once called

us, heavy

His touch sends sparks racing up

miss you,"

to the way things were. But then I remember Ellie's cruel smile. His indifference in the forest, when I was near-naked and terrified. And how

You don't get to

trying to calm himself. "I know things are different

way to express how I feel. So I laugh. A brittle, sharp, broken sound. "Like how your new mate treats

grabbing my hand and

my head, disbelief coursing through me. "It's not just about how Ellie treats me.

can't go against my mate, Grace. You

anger finally overtaking the hurt.

cups my cheek, and I hate the way I lean into his touch. Like a bad fucking habit.

him kiss me, to

I hate him.

I miss

dreamed of a future with

scrambling out of bed. "Get

"Grace—"

beneath me. The temptation of the familiar is terrifying. "You don't get to have both of

that alpha presence I once found so attractive now feeling oppressive. "You're mine, Grace.

"No, I'm not. I'm human, remember? I don't belong to this pack, and I certainly don't

for control. He steps forward, and I step back, only for the wall to hit

on the wall beside my head. "You're just angry with me. It's okay, Gracie.

my jaw in

not the

thoughts. He wanted me to be true to myself. He loved me

ever claim to

downgrade to pleas. "I just want to

find out," he breathes, his eyes drawn to my lips. "We'll keep it quiet. I

she's not stupid. She'll

swoops in to kiss me, but I get my hand between our lips just in time. My heart races at the anger darkening his eyes, even as his hand strokes my cheek in a gentle caress. "It's okay, Gracie. I'll

in soft, sensual kisses that only make

made a mistake, Grace. But I'm going to get you back. You'll see. You

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